Prom!
by DryadSpeaks
Summary: It's finally time for prom!  Spinoff of All My Dreams chapter 114 and The Smile on Your Face chapter 96.  Quartie, Samcedes, Puckleberry, Martin/AJ, etc!
1. Chapter 1

"How did this get in here?" Artie asked his mother, holding up the dark purple dress shirt he found hanging neatly next to his tuxedo in his closet. "Either Quinn snuck in here and put it there, or she's got a man on the inside."

Beth grinned. "I can tell you that she most certainly does not have a man on the inside," she said, watching as her son grinned back at her.

"A…woman, then?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded, her grin widening into a large smile to match the one that Artie was now wearing.

"Quinn gave it to me when we picked up the dresses," she said. "So that you'd be sure to have it in good time to get ready."

"Wait…picked up the dresses? What? Have you seen her dress?" he asked.

She nodded again. "We picked up all three of the girls' dresses the other day with the van, so there would be lots of space and they wouldn't get wrinkled," she said. "And it was a good thing, too. Rachel's dress filled the entire backseat."

"She bought the huge pink one, didn't she?" he asked. "I'm not her date, so you can tell me."

Beth chuckled. "That's for me to know, and you to…not know," she said. "But I won't deny that her dress is both pink and a bit on the extravagant side."

"That dress had her name written all over it," Artie said. "Quinn even said that when we were there looking at all the different ones they had to make sure the one she got was the best fit with my chair."

"What time are the boys coming over?" Beth asked, finishing the last plate she'd been drying. When Artie had announced that Quinn wanted them to go look at dresses to make sure the one she picked out wouldn't get caught on his chair or make it difficult for him to move, she'd been touched by the fact that the girl was so thoughtful and mindful of things they might have encountered at prom…even though she knew Artie would have been able to make it work, regardless of what she chose to wear.

"Soon," Artie said. "We didn't really specify a time…I think it's just as soon as Martin can get AJ out of his house and here. Their clothes are already hanging next to mine."

"Sweetie, you should have let me give your hair a bit of a trim this morning. I could do it now, if you like. There's still time," she said, holding up the front of his hair for emphasis.

He grinned. "I was just going to do something with it how it is now," he said. "But it is getting a little long. Maybe just a tiny trim, so I don't look like a hobo?"

Beth laughed. "Not that you ever look like a hobo," she said. "But thank you. I'll go grab what I need," she said. "We can do it on the back deck."

Beth had barely left the kitchen, before Lindsay came running in. "Artie, is that your shirt?" she asked, running a hand gently over one of the cuffs.

He nodded. "What do you think?"

"I like it," she said. "You're going to look so pretty!"

"Um, I think with guys it's called handsome," he said, as the doorbell rang. "Do you want to go get that? It's probably Martin and AJ."

Lindsay nodded, giggling, and ran to answer the door.

Artie heard his two friends greet Lindsay, who announced that he was in the kitchen.

"I do not need a haircut," AJ muttered to Martin, as he walked through the kitchen. "Artie, bro!" he said. "My date says I need a haircut. That's BS, right? It looks good?"

"Artie, tell him he does," Martin cut in, before Artie had a chance to respond. He turned back to AJ. "This afro thing you've got going on right now is going to look totally wrong with your tux."

"He may be right…" Artie said softly to AJ. "It might look a little weird...because it's like…a halfro, or something."

"Ok, so maybe it's not QUITE curly enough for a proper afro," AJ said indignantly, sitting down at the kitchen table. "But it doesn't need to be cut. I'll just comb it some more."

Beth chose that moment to step out of the hallway back into the kitchen, a couple of towels, scissors, a comb, and spray bottle in hand. "I'm just about to give Artie's hair a quick trim," she said. "AJ, honey, if you like, I can trim yours too. Just so you look completely put together for prom."

Artie stifled a grin, as Martin made a very large and exaggerated yes gesture behind AJ's head, while AJ twisted his mouth in thought.

"I guess that would be ok," he said. "I do want to look my best."

Martin gave a large thumbs up behind AJ's back, and the four headed out onto the back deck.

Once Artie's hair was done, Beth moved AJ over onto a chair off to the side, and began neatly trimming his hair.

"I tried for two hours," Martin whispered to Artie, as they watched Beth gently ask AJ to stay still so he wouldn't end up losing a chunk of hair or an eye. "And your mom got him convinced in two seconds. How did THAT work?"

Artie grinned. "She can be pretty convincing," he whispered back. "Did you get yours cut? It looks shorter."

Martin nodded. "Well…I didn't GET it cut, per se" he said. "I just buzzed some more of it off. The shorter it gets, the more I like it. I figure by the first week of July, I'll have it all shaved off. It grows pretty fast, so if that looks REALLY bad, it won't take long to fix."

"Good plan," Artie said. "Did you get Uncle Max to show you how he ties AJ's tie so he doesn't feel like it's strangling him?"

"Oh crap," Martin muttered. "No…I forgot."

"My dad'll be home soon," Artie said. "We can ask him. He knows about stuff like that."

"Are you satisfied now?" AJ asked, plopping himself down on the bench next to Martin. "A-Man," he said, turning to Artie. "Your mom is magic with the scissors. I'm like a new man."

Artie grinned, glancing over at Beth, who was discretely sweeping what looked like enough of AJ's black hair to make a small animal into the garbage can, before he noticed just how much she'd taken off.

"You boys had better start getting ready," she said, coming up behind her son and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Steve will be here shortly, if you need a hand with ties or anything like that," she added.

As they headed inside, Artie stopped to grab the shirt he'd hung on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. He wondered how things were going at Quinn's.

* * *

><p>"Oh, Quinn," Judy said, as Quinn emerged from the guest bedroom, her hair pulled back from her face, a few soft curls hanging down the back of her neck, while the rest sat on the back of her head, intricately curled and twisted. "You look so beautiful!"<p>

"Thanks, Mom," she said, smiling at her. "Nadine did a really good job. She's doing Rachel's now."

"I'm really glad you three decided to get ready here," Judy said, as they sat down on the couch in the living room. "Are you having fun?"

Quinn nodded. "Yes, we're having a lot of fun. And I'm really glad too," she said.

"I was thinking that, rather than having you come back here," Judy said, rearranging the pillows on the couch, "I'd just come with you to Artie's house, and we can take pictures there. Do you think that would be alright with his family?"

"Of course," Quinn said. "Beth already suggested that maybe we could do that…I just forgot to ask if that would work for you. Sorry."

"I think that would work best for everyone," Judy said. "You'd better get back in there with your friends," she added. "What are you girls doing about makeup?"

"We were going to ask you if you wanted to help with that," Quinn said, standing up. "Do you want to?"

Judy smiled. "I'd love to."

* * *

><p>"Oh, Artie!" Lindsay exclaimed, running up to her brother as he emerged from his bedroom. "You look like a handsome prince!"<p>

He grinned, as she carefully fingered the cuff of his jacket. "Thanks, Linds," he said. As modest as he was, he did have to admit that he looked pretty good. AJ's uncle had been right…the charcoal gray of the tux, with the fine black pinstripe, matched perfectly with the purple shirt and black bowtie he wore underneath it.

"Sweetie, you look so handsome," Beth said, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek. "Quinn is going to love it."

"Looking good there, son," Steve piped up from beside his wife. "The Abrams genes are definitely showing through tonight. What do you think, Michael?" he asked his younger son, who had stuck his head out of his room to see what was going on.

"You look good," he mumbled to his brother, before heading back into his room and closing the door.

Artie was about to say something, when a soft thud from inside his bedroom caught everyone's attention.

"Get it off!" AJ proclaimed dramatically less than five seconds after the thud. "I can't breathe with this on me!"

"Calm down!" Martin hissed at him. "Hold still. HOLD STILL! And stop making a scene! Artie's whole family is outside the door!"

"Maybe I should see what's going on in there," Artie said to his mother, who looked like she wasn't sure whether to be concerned, or laugh.

"Everything ok in here?" he asked, wheeling himself through the doorway. "AJ…why are you on the floor? You're going to wrinkle your pants!"

"I cannot wear this tie," he said, waving the blue accessory wildly around with his hand. "It feels like it's going to strangle me."

"Do you want me to try?" Artie asked, approaching him, careful not to make eye contact with Martin, for fear they'd both burst out laughing.

"You're wearing a bowtie," AJ muttered. "I need someone with experience tying this kind of tie on people with fat necks."

There was a gentle knock at the door.

"Can I be of assistance?" Steve asked, poking his head into the room. "Here, let me give it a try," he said, walking over to AJ. "But first you should really get off the ground, AJ. You're going to wrinkle your pants."

"Do you know about ties?" AJ asked, standing up, careful not to further wrinkle his pants, and wondering if Artie's mother would think it was strange if he asked if he could use her ironing board to fix them up.

Steve nodded. "I do," he said. "I've worn a tie or two in my life. What's the problem?"

"I have a fat neck," AJ muttered. "And it feels like it's strangling me. My uncle Max knows how to make it so it doesn't do that…but we don't know how, and forgot to ask him."

"Let's have a look," he said, taking the tie from AJ's hand, and placing it around his neck. After a minute or so, he stepped back. "How's that?"

"Mr. A," AJ said, stepping over to the mirror, crouching slightly so that he could see his upper body, "You are a GENIUS!"

* * *

><p>"Let me get some pictures of you three before you get your dresses on," Judy said, ushering Quinn, Mercedes, and Rachel over to the far wall of the guest bedroom. "You look so beautiful, with your hair and makeup all done like that."<p>

"Thank you, Mrs. Fabray," Rachel said, as they lined up against the wall. "And I really must also thank you for allowing us to get ready at your house!"

"You're welcome, Rachel," Judy said, snapping several pictures with her own camera, before reaching for Quinn's to take a few more. "I'm glad you girls are having a good time. And Nadine did an amazing job on your hair."

"I am quite glad that I decided to go with mine all up," Rachel said, gently touching the back of her hair. "I think it will look quite perfect with my dress. And, of course, Quinn, Mercedes," she added, gesturing to her two friends, "Both of yours will look amazing with your dresses as well. Speaking of dresses, perhaps we should begin the process of putting them on, as Noah and Sam will be here in less than two hours to pick us up, Mercedes, and we have to make certain that we are completely ready upon their arrival."

Mercedes nodded. "Why don't we get yours on first," she said to Rachel. "Unless you wanted to get yours on first, Q? What time are you heading over to Artie's house?"

"Oh, not until after you guys are gone," Quinn said. "Rachel, do you want to put yours on first?"

Rachel nodded. Quinn was pretty sure her face was going to explode if her smile got any bigger. Mercedes and Judy were also wearing big smiles, and Quinn was glad that everyone was having a good time.

After they'd carefully removed Rachel's dress from the dress bag, they arranged it in such a way that Quinn and Mercedes could hold it, while Rachel carefully stepped into it. Once they'd gently pulled it up, and got it situated, she held onto the front, as Judy laced the back, and Quinn and Mercedes adjusted the skirt, making sure that they layers of crinoline underneath it were lying flat and were fully covered by the rich, pink material.

"I feel like a princess!" Rachel said, giggling slightly, as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror. "Oh, Quinn, Mercedes, Mrs. Fabray…this is just so exciting! Noah is going to love it!" she added. "Of course, we are only attending prom as friends, but still…I think he will be suitably impressed and delighted. Who is going to go next?"

"Mercedes," Quinn said, heading over to grab the bag with the bright red dress from where it was hanging on the back of the closet door. "I think you should get yours on next."

"I am unsure if I will be able to help properly," Rachel said, "As I do not want to mess up the skirt that you two have so delicately arranged. Perhaps I should have gone last," she added, "As my dress is of a substantial size."

"I think we can handle it, Rach," Quinn said, while Mercedes nodded in agreement. "Cedes' dress is a totally different style, and I don't think it's going to take three of us to get it just right."

"Perhaps I can offer advice," Rachel said, standing off to the side.

Once Mercedes was wearing her dress, Judy carefully zipped the long zipper up the girl's back, while Quinn fluffed out the skirt.

"Wow," Quinn said, stepping back. "This looks even better now than it did when you tried it on. You should DEFINITELY wear more red."

Mercedes smiled softly, as she looked at herself in the mirror. "I feel like I'm going to cry," she whispered. "But I can't, because of my makeup."

Quinn leaned over, wrapping an arm gently around her, as Judy finished fixing one side of Rachel's skirt that she'd noticed wasn't quite how it was supposed to be. "You look so amazing," she whispered, hugging her. "Don't cry."

Mercedes' smile widened. "I've been dreading prom for the last year and a half," she said. "Because I didn't think I'd have anyone to go with, and I was worried I wouldn't look good…but now I have Sam, and we're going together, and this dress. I look…"

"HOT!" Quinn exclaimed, grinning at her. "Woman, you're on fire!"

"Did you just call me 'woman?'" Mercedes asked giggling. "Girl, that boy is rubbing off on you!"

Quinn giggled. "Well, it's true!"

"Quinn, we really must get your dress on now," Rachel said, interrupting the two girls' brief moment alone. "So that we may get some photographs before our dates arrive."

Quinn nodded, as Judy brought over the bag containing Quinn's dress. She removed the bag, and, due to the fact that Quinn's dress did not consist of layers and layers of material like Rachel's did, it was quick to get it on. Once the back was done up, and Judy had smoothed out a few of the ruffles around the bottom, Quinn turned to face her friends.

"Oh, Quinn," Rachel said, before anyone else could say anything. "You look so gorgeous. Like an elegant flamenco dancer in a ball gown! Oh…" she added, "Perhaps that image is not the correct one. What I was trying to express is that the layers of ruffles around the bottom are reminiscent of a flamenco dancer's dress, but really this dress is too gorgeous to even be in the same league as something like that."

Quinn grinned at Rachel's description. She had been trying to come up with a way to describe the skirt of her dress, and, while Rachel's description wasn't what she would have gone with, she did agree that, to some extent, the layers of soft ruffles did resemble the skirts on some flamenco dancers' dresses she had seen.

"Girl, you look so fine," Mercedes said, as she reached out to straighten the elaborate ornamentation on the front of the dress. "Artie isn't going to know what to say when he sees you."

"You look so beautiful," Judy said, hugging her daughter. "You three all look so beautiful. And Mercedes is right, Quinnie…Artie isn't going to know what to say when he sees you."

Quinn grinned, examining herself in the mirror. They were right. He wouldn't know what to say. But not just because of the dress.

* * *

><p>"How about we get a few pictures in the back yard before Quinn arrives?" Beth said, attempting to usher the three VERY well-dressed boys towards the back door. "Artie, honey, I'd like to get a few pictures of you with both of us, and I know Linds probably wants some with all three of you," she said. "And boys, we'd better get some of you too, together and by yourselves, for your parents."<p>

"I can take the ones of you, Mr. A, and the A-man," AJ said. "Just tell me what button to press. I don't really know too much about cameras like that one, though. I'm more a video camera kind of guy."

"I'll do it," Martin said, stepping up behind him. "I have the same camera."

AJ was about to protest, before realizing that was probably a good idea. "That's probably a good idea," he said. "WAIT! I can be like your tripod and creative director!"

Artie grinned, as AJ directed him and his parents over to the nicest spot in the yard, before announcing that he thought they should take several pictures with them standing up, as well as some with them down lower so that "everyone looked the same height."

Once Martin had decided they had enough good pictures of Artie with his parents, he nodded to Lindsay, who had been waiting patiently beside him. She ran over, gently situating herself in her brother's lap, careful not to mess up his outfit, and announced that she was ready. Martin took several photos, before handing the camera back to Beth.

She took several pictures of all three of them by themselves, and several of Martin and AJ together, before announcing that it was time for all three of them to be photographed together.

"Mrs. A," AJ said, as he headed over to Artie. "How is this going to work? Even when he's on his knees, Martin is still taller than Artie," he pointed out, a questioning look on his face. "Can you fit us all in? Should I get a couple of chairs?"

Noticing that Martin was starting to get his "OMG AJ" face, as he'd decided to call the expression his friend frequently wore when AJ spoke, Artie looked up, and gently tapped him on the side of the leg. "Don't tell me you didn't anticipate this when he was talking about being the creative director."

Martin grinned. "He did mention something about not being sure how that would work with pictures," he said quietly, as AJ spoke to Beth. "I told him it's not that big of a deal…not like we've never been in pictures together before, and no one has ever said, 'Wow, this looks bad.'"

"Ok," AJ said, marching over to them. "So we're going to take some pictures with us standing," he said, pointing to himself and to Martin. "And then we're going to crouch down and take some like that. Broseph," he said, turning to Martin.

"Don't call me that," the tall boy muttered to him, cutting him off.

"You're going to have to crouch down a LOT more than I am, or Artie and I are going to look like Hobbits," he finished. "Ok?"

Martin nodded, while Artie tried very hard not to let the laughter that was starting to build up inside him escape from his mouth.

"Ok, boys," Beth said. "Are you ready?"

Artie nodded. "Ready as we'll ever be."

* * *

><p>They'd taken pictures in several different places in the back yard. Judy took several pictures of all three girls together, and then pictures of each of them individually. The plan was that, once Puck and Sam arrived, they would join them in the back yard for a few more pictures, before leaving. If everything went according to schedule, the limo would arrive to pick up Quinn and Judy to take them to Artie's house about fifteen minutes after everyone else had left.<p>

They had just finished, when a loud car horn sounded from the front of the house. Quinn headed to the front door, to be met by Puck and Sam. A very fancy-looking, shiny silver vintage car stood in the driveway behind her car.

"My mom's boss lent us his car," Puck said quietly to her, as she led them inside. "We didn't tell Rachel and Mercedes…wanted it to be a surprise. You look hot, by the way."

"Um…Thanks!" she said. "We're just in the back taking some pictures. And the car is amazing…they'll really like it. Hi, Sam," she added. "You both look really nice too."

Sam grinned at her. "Did you ladies have fun getting ready?"

She nodded, leading them to the back yard.

"Oh, Noah! Sam!" Rachel said excitedly, before anyone else had a chance to say anything. "You're here! And you both look so handsome in your prom attire!"

"Wow," Sam said, stopping and staring at Mercedes. "You look…wow."

She grinned. "You too," she said, quietly.

"Looking pretty good there, Rach," Puck said, approaching her. "Looking pretty hot, actually."

Rachel smiled. "Thank you, Noah," she said. "You are looking pretty good yourself! We really must hurry and get some pictures," she added. "So that we can be sure to leave on time so Quinn can go to Artie's."

After taking too many photos to count, in almost every possible combination, the two boys led their dates through Quinn's house, and out the front door. They were absolutely delighted by the car, and, after hugging Quinn and Judy good bye, and telling Quinn they'd see her later, they left, Puck and Rachel in the front, and Mercedes and Sam in the back.

"The limo will be here in about ten minutes," Judy said. "And then we can head over to Artie's. Are you excited?"

Quinn grinned, nodding. "I'm so excited, Mom. Thank you for helping with the makeup, and the dresses, and taking all the pictures. And thank you again…so much, for organizing the limo with his parents. I can't wait to see his reaction."

Judy hugged her daughter. "You're welcome, Quinnie," she said. "I just wanted everything to be perfect and special for you."

Quinn smiled, softly. "It is," she said, as the limo pulled up in front of the house. "Are you ready?"

Judy nodded.

"Then let's go," Quinn said, leading the way outside.

* * *

><p>"Quinn is going to be here any minute," Artie said. "AJ, why are you ironing your pants RIGHT NOW?"<p>

"They had wrinkles!" he said. "And I thought I might as well wait until we'd done those pictures outside."

"Your pants are fine," Artie said, nervously looking out the window to see if Quinn had arrived yet. "I can't believe you're standing in my living room without pants less than five minutes before Quinn is supposed to show up.

"Almost done, dude," he said, as he finished ironing the bottom of the second pant leg. "Your mom has a really nice iron!" he added.

"I know," Artie muttered. "Which is why we usually keep it in the laundry room. Why are you doing this out here?"

"Needed more space for the pants," AJ said. "Your mom said she'd do it for me, but I told her that I had the situation under control."

"I forgot something in my room," Artie said, turning. "I'll be right back."

After he'd tucked a couple of things into the backpack hanging on the back of his chair, Artie looked in the mirror one more time. He hoped he lived up to Quinn's expectations.

"Artie," Linds said, running to his room. "Quinn is here! She's here!"

He gave his hair a final flick with his fingers, before deciding it was fine, and then headed out of his room to the front door, opening it slowly.

Artie's jaw dropped. He wasn't sure what shocked him more…that Quinn looked even more gorgeous than he could possibly imagine, and was wearing the dress he'd said he liked the best, only purple…or that she had arrived in the wheelchair-accessible limo he'd looked at online, before deciding it was too expensive.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know…REALLY original with the title here. But I just could NOT for the life of me come up with something that didn't sound completely and utterly moronic! Plus…simple is good. Right?**

**There will be a second part to this, which I will (hopefully) post tomorrow! Journals will be posted then as well…I didn't want to post any today, because they would have to be for a different day, and that might be confusing for people reading them, and would probably also have been confusing for me writing them, because I'm in total prom mindset!**

**This turned out a LOT longer than I'd anticipated…mainly because AJ's haircut was NOT part of my original plan, but then it just kind of happened, and I liked it, and decided to go with it!**

**SO! Hope you enjoyed, and hope you're looking forward to the other half of this when I get it finished and posted!**

**:D**


	2. Chapter 2

Quinn almost couldn't contain herself, as she stepped from the limo in Artie's driveway. She looked up just in time to see him open the door, and the grin she was wearing turned into the biggest smile possible when she saw his jaw drop. The look on his face was priceless.

After Judy spoke briefly to the driver, she stepped out of the limo, and watched as her daughter made her way towards the house, holding her dress carefully so it wouldn't get caught on anything. Judging from the look on Artie's face, Quinn had made the right choice with the dress, and she and Beth had made the right choice in deciding to rent the limo for them.

Judy saw someone gesture to her from the side of the house, and walked discreetly down the path and around to the back door, where Beth let her in.

Artie stared at Quinn, as she gingerly made her way towards him. He wasn't quite sure what was going to come out of his mouth if he spoke, and was relieved when she spoke first.

"Surprise!" Quinn said, quietly, draping herself carefully across his lap. "You look so hot," she whispered into his ear, wrapping her arms around him.

"I-I-um…wow," Artie mumbled. "Let me try that again."

Quinn smiled, resting her head against his, careful not to disturb her hair.

"You look so amazing," he said, finally. "About fifty times more beautiful than I could ever have imagined."

"And here I thought you had a pretty good imagination," she said, giggling quietly. "Apparently I overestimated you."

He cleared his throat, chuckling nervously. "How did you do that?" he asked, quietly. "The limo?"

"Why don't you ask your mom?" Quinn said, standing up. "Or my mom. Who, by the way…are both watching us right now."

Artie grinned sheepishly, turning to see his entire family, minus Michael, and plus Martin, AJ, and Judy standing at the living room window, watching them.

"We should probably go inside," he said. "But I don't want to share you with them. I actually just want to keep you for myself right now."

Quinn grinned, leaning over and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "I'll make sure we have some time for that later," she said, as she reached for the doorknob. "But for now we'd better get in there. Judging from the camera flashes I already saw since we've been out here, our moms are going to break some sort of picture-taking record."

He grinned back at her. "After you," he said, gesturing towards the door. "And I'm going to hold you to that promise," he added, softly as she stepped inside.

* * *

><p>"QUINN! YOU LOOK LIKE A PRINCESS!" Lindsay shouted, before anyone else had a chance to say anything. She rushed over to Quinn, before screeching to a halt. "Can I touch you?" she asked, in a voice more appropriate for indoors. "Can I hug you? Will it hurt your dress?"<p>

Quinn smiled. "Of course you can hug me, Linds," she said, crouching down and holding out her arms. "You can't hurt the dress."

"Yay!" Lindsay exclaimed, before wrapping her arms around Quinn.

"Quinn, honey, you look amazing," Beth said, as she took several pictures. "So beautiful."

Steve nodded in agreement, and Quinn smiled and said thank you, noticing out of the corner of her eye that her mother was discreetly wiping tears from beneath her eyes.

"This is like something out of one of my dreams," AJ mumbled, before Martin kicked him gently in the back of the leg, indicating that he should stop before he said anything else.

"You look really nice, Quinn," Martin said to her, a big smile on his face.

AJ nodded. "Artie, can we trade dates?" he asked. "Or, if not…Quinn…please. I just need one dance."

Quinn giggled, as Artie and Martin rolled their eyes. "I think we can arrange that," she said. "The one dance…not the trading dates. Sorry, AJ."

Everyone laughed, before Beth announced that they'd better get outside and take a bunch of pictures before dinner.

At the mention of dinner, Artie's eyes widened briefly, and he hoped no one else saw. He'd said he'd make arrangements for dinner…and had promptly forgotten.

As everyone headed to the back door, he was relieved to see Steve near the back of the group.

"Dad!" he said, quietly enough that not everyone would hear, but loudly enough to catch his father's attention.

"Yes?" Steve said, stopping and turning toward him, as the others filed out through the door. "What's up?"

"I was supposed to do…something about dinner," Artie hissed. "And I totally forgot. I was so fixated on everything being perfect, that I totally missed a major component of the evening. What do I do? I can't believe I forgot that! I should have just listened to Martin when he said he'd take care of it!"

Steve grinned, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small slip of paper. "I suspected this might happen," he said, quietly. "You have a reservation for four at Luigi's at 5:15."

"Thanks," Artie said, grinning back at his dad. "But wait…I can't really afford Luigi's, and I'm pretty sure Martin and AJ can't either."

Steve nodded. "I gave them my credit card," he said. "You're good to go."

"You didn't have to do that," Artie said, glancing over his shoulder to see if they were being missed yet. "But Dad…thanks."

Steve smiled at his son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I knew you wanted everything to be perfect," he said. "And plus, you know your mom and I went to Luigi's before we went to prom when we were in high school. It's like a family tradition now."

Artie grinned. He had heard the story of his parents' first official date many times, and several times over the last couple of weeks, as prom drew nearer. It never got old.

"We'd better get out there," Steve added. "Your mom is looking for you."

"Well, the pictures ARE always better when I'm in them," Artie said, chuckling softly because his father knew how much he hated having his picture taken. "So I guess we'd better go so I can make my appearance."

* * *

><p>While they were waiting for Artie and Steve, Beth took some pictures of Quinn by herself, some of Quinn and Judy, Quinn and Linds, and then several of Quinn with Martin and AJ, because AJ insisted they needed them so they could show their mothers. Beth knew that Martin's parents weren't going to be home that evening, as she had spoken with his mother earlier in the week, when she'd called to ask if Beth could take lots of pictures for them because they had an important business meeting they had to attend the night of prom. Beth wasn't exactly sure what business they were in, but she knew that one or both of them were frequently out of town.<p>

AJ's mother, Maria, had called her later that week, to let her know she wasn't going to be able to take them up on the invitation to join them for pictures, because she'd been scheduled to work an unexpected double shift at the hospital at the last minute, and couldn't get out of it. Beth had assured her she would make sure to get lots of pictures of AJ, and she had laughed when Maria told her that AJ had already made plans for them to get some pictures of the two of them the day after prom, before he returned his tux to his uncle's shop.

She happened to glance inside at the very moment Steve handed their son the slip of paper with the information for the dinner reservation on it. She had heard Artie tell Martin that he'd take care of dinner, and had promptly shared this information with Steve. Steve knew his son, and had made the reservation soon after, knowing that he could always cancel it if Artie told either one of them he'd made the arrangements. They both knew he was so fixated on everything else, that there was a good chance dinner would slip his mind.

"Artie, honey," she said, once he began his descent down the ramp to the back yard. "Let's get some pictures of you and Quinn, ok?"

He nodded, grinning at her. "Where do you want me?" he asked.

"How about over there?" she said, pointing to the corner of the yard that had the most flowers blooming. "Is that ok?"

"You're the photographer," Artie said, heading over to where she'd pointed, glancing over his shoulder to see if Quinn was following. "We'll go wherever you want us."

They took several photos of Quinn standing beside Artie, and several more with her standing behind, hands on his shoulders. Then, Quinn sat across his lap, carefully arranging her skirt with the help of Lindsay, who insisted it had to be "just right," and Beth and Judy took more pictures. Once they were satisfied, Martin and AJ joined the pair for some group shots.

"We'd better go soon," Artie said, glancing at his watch, which read just a little past 4:30. "Our dinner reservation is for 5:15."

"Where are we going?" AJ asked, as they headed back inside.

"That's for me to know, and you to…well, you get the picture," Artie said, grinning at his friend. "I think you'll approve," he added, moving to the side to let Quinn go into the house ahead of him.

Once they reached the living room, Artie glanced outside, and saw all three parents standing on the grass outside, chatting with the limo driver, while Lindsay chased what looked like a large butterfly around the yard.

"I didn't want to ask this when everyone was here," AJ said, "But where did you get a limo, Quinn? I thought we were going to go in Martin's car. How is the A-man going to get into that without ruining his outfit? And, you know…hurting himself. Not that it's not amazing," he added. "I just feel like I missed something here."

"I wouldn't hurt myself," Artie muttered. "It just might not be very graceful."

Quinn exchanged a brief glace with Artie, noticing the slight grin on his face, before addressing AJ's question. "My mom and Artie's parents got it for us," she said. "As a surprise. And he's not going to hurt himself," she added, "Because it's totally accessible."

"They make those?" AJ asked, looking around the room. "They can do everything!"

Everyone laughed, before Artie announced that they'd better get outside, so they wouldn't be late for dinner.

Once they had exchanged thank yous, hugs, and goodbyes with Beth, Steve, and Judy, the four headed over to the limo.

After the driver, who had introduced himself as Randy, had opened the door, and helped Quinn inside, she watched as he explained the mechanics of the sliding seat, more for AJ's benefit than for Artie's, she assumed, judging by the way AJ's facial expression looked as if it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.

Once Artie was seated securely beside her, his chair stowed safely in the trunk of the limo, Martin and AJ got in, and Randy stuck his head in, telling them they'd be just in time for their dinner reservation.

Artie, assuming that his father had filled the driver in on where they were going while they had been talking outside, thanked him, and before they knew it, they were off.

* * *

><p>Dinner went smoothly and was relatively uneventful. AJ had proclaimed that Artie had done a good job selecting the restaurant, and the others had agreed.<p>

Once they had finished eating, they headed back outside, where Randy was waiting for them with the limo. It was his first time driving a group of kids to prom, and, while he'd been a bit apprehensive at first, having heard horror stories from other drivers at the limo rental company about their prom passengers, he found himself liking the group of polite teenagers instantly.

When Judy had phoned to make the arrangements for the limo, she'd asked if it would be possible for him to pick them up after prom as well, and take them home, to make sure they all got back safely, and he had happily let her know that he was available for whatever they needed him for, and he would make sure that all four in the group got home safely.

Once they were settled back inside the vehicle, they headed off to prom.

* * *

><p>"Are you excited?" Artie whispered to Quinn, as they approached the school.<p>

She nodded, grinning at him. "Are you?"

"I'm always excited when I'm with you, yo!" he said quietly, grinning back at her. "We could go to the dump, and I'd be excited."

She giggled. "You're so romantic," she said. "I'd be excited too," she said. "As long as we were together."

"Good," he said. "Because we actually do need to go there one of these days. There's a bunch of stuff in the garage that needs to be sorted into those huge recycling bins. I told Mom I'd take care of it."

Quinn giggled again. "Ok," she said. "Oh, look, we're here!"

Once they'd reached a stop, and Randy had come around and opened the door, Martin and AJ got out, while Randy went around to the trunk to retrieve Artie's chair.

"Dude," AJ said, quietly. "I want to design stuff like this. Like…for a job."

"Stuff like what?" Martin asked, scanning the groups of fancily-dressed teenagers spread out across the parking lot, looking to see who all was there.

"Stuff that's accessible for people that need to do stuff differently," AJ responded. "This is so cool. Did you not see the A-man's face when he saw the limo? Did you not see how cute they were sitting there, across from us? Can you imagine how hard it would have been for Artie to get into a normal limo? The fact that someone, somewhere, designed a limo that he could easily get into changed his life. I want to change people's lives! This is amazing!"

Martin grinned. "It is pretty cool," he said. "And yes, of course I saw his face AND how cute they were. You know I see everything."

"That's my line!" AJ said, as Quinn and Artie thanked Randy, and headed towards them. "Not that I've ever said it before," he added, "But it's totally something I would say."

"What's something you would say?" Artie asked, halting his chair next to his friends.

"Never mind," AJ said. "Martin is just stealing my brain waves again."

Artie chuckled, before holding out his hand to Quinn, gesturing to his lap. "Shall we?" he asked.

She grinned, sitting down carefully. "We shall," she said, before turning to Martin and AJ. "You guys ready?"

Martin nodded, looking slightly chagrined when AJ held out his arm. He decided to just go with it, though, and looped his arm through his friend's.

"I was born ready," AJ said.

"Hey!" Artie said, as they headed off towards the door. "THAT IS my line."

AJ grinned. "I know," he said. "And now it's mine, too."

* * *

><p>They had barely made it through the large doors, when Quinn spied Rachel rushing over to them, dragging Puck behind her.<p>

"I've been waiting for you!" she said, once they'd reached them. "Oh, Arthur," she said to Artie, "You do look fantastic! As you do, Martin and AJ."

Martin smiled softly at Rachel. Part of him wished that they were still together, and that he was her prom date, not Noah Puckerman. But another part of him also realized that things were better the way they were now.

"Dude, did she just call you Arthur?" AJ whispered into Artie's ear, as Rachel gushed something he couldn't quite understand to Quinn. "Seriously?"

Artie nodded. "She does that sometimes," he whispered back. "I hate it."

"She is never finding out what AJ stands for," AJ muttered. "That's the last thing I need. Someone who calls me by my full name."

"It's not that bad," Martin said. "Really."

"Yeah, if I were a politician or a lawyer," AJ muttered. "Neither of which I will ever be. So AJ it is. Tell her, and I'll sneak into your house at night and steal your cat."

"I don't have a cat," Martin said, trying to stifle his grin. "But you could come steal that hideous statue my aunt gave my parents for Christmas? If you can even get into my house at all, that is."

Artie watched as his two best friends continued their conversation, before turning his attention back to where Quinn was standing, talking to Rachel, and a very bored-looking Puck. Every time he had a second to himself, he found the same thoughts running through his mind. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening to him. He was more lucky than anyone else. He had decided right away that Quinn was clearly the most beautiful girl there, although he then admitted to himself that he may be slightly biased. And he was ok with that.

He was completely lost in his thoughts, when Quinn placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You ok?" she whispered into his ear, leaning down.

He nodded. "Just thinking," he said.

"About what?" she asked, playfully.

He grinned. "About how I'm easily the luckiest guy here," he said, softly. "I mean…look at you."

She grinned back. "That's funny," she said, moving around in front of him, retaking her place in his lap. "Because I was just thinking that I'm easily the luckiest girl here," she said, quietly. "I mean…look at YOU."

He wrapped his arms around her, and just held her for a couple of minutes, until Principal Figgins announced that the music would begin shortly.

* * *

><p>Once the dancing started, it was very clear that a pattern was rapidly developing. Slow songs found Quinn seated in Artie's lap, arms around him, as he moved them gently back and forth, while most of the faster-paced songs found everyone dancing in a larger group, although Quinn never left Artie's side.<p>

At one point, during one of the slower songs, Quinn glanced over to where Sam and Mercedes were dancing, before resting her head on Artie's shoulder, and speaking softly into his ear.

"Look at Cedes and Sam," she said. "They look so happy."

He glanced over, making a small nod with his head. "They're almost as cute as we are," he responded. "Almost."

She giggled softly, kissing him gently on the neck. "No one's as cute as you are," she said.

He grinned. "Are you having fun?" he asked, as they swayed to the music.

"You have no idea," she answered. "You?"

He nodded. "Quinn," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry that you don't actually get to have a slow dance with your boyfriend's arms around you."

She lifted her head, her eyes meeting his. "Hey," she said. "There's nothing to be sorry for," she responded. "I get to have all the slow dances with my boyfriend's whole body holding me, not just his arms."

A small grin spread across his face. "That is true," he said. "But still. I really wish I could just hold you while we dance. But if I do…we're not going to be able to move."

Martin, who just happened to be dancing right behind Quinn and Artie with one of the girls in the jazz band, overheard their conversation. Once the song had finished, he scanned the area for AJ, who was sitting on one of the chairs nearby, talking to a boy Martin had never seen before.

"A word?" he said, quietly to AJ, sitting down beside him. The person he'd been talking to excused himself, and headed off in search of his date.

AJ nodded. "What can I do for you, sir?"

Martin grinned. "You know how you were talking earlier about how you wanted to change people's lives?"

AJ nodded again.

"I've got one for you," he went on. "You just have to clear it with Quinn."

AJ nodded for a third time, listening intently as Martin explained to him what he had to do.

Once the song had finished, AJ headed over to where Quinn and Artie were.

"Quinn, can I have the next dance?" he asked, meeting Artie's eyes for a brief second, until his friend nodded.

"Of course," she said. "I was wondering when you were going to come collect that."

AJ grinned, and grabbed Quinn's hand once the next song started, pulling her far enough from Artie that he wouldn't hear what he was going to ask her.

Quinn grinned, as AJ explained what Martin had told him, and asked if she thought it would be ok. Her eyes teared up a little, as she nodded, and told him that she was sure it would be just fine.

Artie watched as AJ danced with Quinn, and was about to turn around in search of Martin, when a flash of pink caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

"May I have this dance?" Rachel asked, smiling at him.

He nodded, smiling back at her. He could talk to Martin later.

* * *

><p>When it was announced that it was the final dance before prom king and queen were crowned, Quinn settled herself into Artie's lap. He put his hands down, placing them loosely on his rims, and was about to get the rhythm going they'd had all night, when he felt a pair of hands on the back of his chair.<p>

He looked back, to see AJ standing behind him.

"Put your arms around your girlfriend," AJ said quietly, leaning down so Artie could hear him. "I'll take care of this."

Artie turned his eyes back to Quinn, who smiled softly at him, before reaching for his hand, and bringing it up around her waist.

"I hope this is ok," she said, softly, once his arms were wrapped around her. "Is it?"

Struggling to find the right words, or…any words, Artie held her in complete silence for a moment.

"Artie?" Quinn whispered, finally. "I just wanted it to be perfect for you, and I know this is what you really wanted," she added, quietly.

"I got what I really wanted the moment you said you'd come here with me tonight," he whispered back, pulling her closer. "This is just so above and beyond perfect, that I don't even know what to say."

As the song ended, she leaned in, kissing him gently.

AJ stood behind them, trying to give them some privacy, but unsure of how he could do that when he had a job to do as well. He couldn't help but overhear Artie's final words before the end of the song, and he smiled softly, blinking rapidly so that the tears that were threatening to invade his eyes would stay where they were, safely nestled in his tear ducts.

He wasn't exactly sure that he'd really changed either of their lives, he thought, but he did know one thing. He'd performed a simple gesture, which had made both Quinn and Artie look even happier than he'd seen them all night.

Maybe that was life changing after all, he decided, removing his hands gently from the back of the chair. And if changing people's lives made them (and him) feel that good…he was going to be sure to do more of that in the future.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed this! It's not exactly what I was expecting to end up with, but I am quite pleased with it. **

**I know some of you were probably hoping to see other people at prom as well, but once I got going…there was no room for other people. So, while you probably didn't get what you were expecting either, I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. :D**

**Both chapters of this story correspond with **_**All My Dreams**_** chapter 114 and **_**The Smile on Your Face**_** chapter 96. I had planned to go on, but decided to end where I did because it just seemed right. Details about what happens after can be found in the journals!**

**Now that we've hit prom, it's not long until summer vacation!**


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